East Baton Rouge Parish, LA Business Licensing & Operations: Pawnbrokers (2026)
Key Facts
- Business license fee
- $25.00, nonrefundable
- Personal permit fee
- $15.00, includes photo ID
- Minimum age for permit
- 18 years old
- Felony lookback period
- 5 years, any state
- Unlicensed penalty
- $100-$500 per transaction
- Temporary receipt-permit
- Valid up to 90 days
Summary
East Baton Rouge Parish requires both a pawnshop business license and a separate personal pawnbroker permit from the chief of police, with an ID-card permit, a five-year clean-felony record, and record-keeping rules on every loan transaction.
No person shall engage in the business of a pawnbroker without first obtaining a valid permit from the chief of police. Any person convicted of acting as a pawnbroker without having first obtained a permit in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense, and each transaction conducted shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 9:1201 requires that "no person may operate a pawnshop business unless the principal owner, firm or corporation has been issued a valid license by the chief of police for the city," with a separate license needed for each location; the license is not transferable and a change of ownership or address requires a new application. The license application under Sec. 9:1202 is sworn, and Sec. 00, nonrefundable. On top of the business license, Sec. 9:1205 separately requires "any person" who engages in the pawnbroker business to hold a personal permit from the chief of police.
That permit application (Sec. 9:1206) collects the applicant's name, address, every pawnshop location where they will work, a statement of no felony conviction under Louisiana or federal law in the past five years, and date of birth and Social Security number. Under Sec. 9:1207 the chief of police issues the permit as a photo ID card once the applicant is at least 18, has no felony in the past five years, and has not had a pawnbroker license revoked in the past two years; a temporary receipt-permit valid up to 90 days may issue while the ID card is prepared.
00, covering the photo ID (Sec. 9:1208). Sec. 9:1209 requires every licensee to keep a written English-language ledger of each loan, describing the borrower and the pawned goods, open to inspection by the chief of police or sheriff.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a pawnbroker without the required personal permit carries a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 for each offense under Sec. 9:1205, and each separate pawn transaction conducted counts as its own offense, so repeated unlicensed transactions multiply the fine quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the pawnshop business license the same as the pawnbroker permit?
How long does a felony conviction bar someone from being a pawnbroker?
What records must a pawnshop keep on every loan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in East Baton Rouge Parish
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